Craig Robinson Reveals Just How Much Food Actors Get On TV Sets

Foodbeast: When you’re on set, what’s on your rider as far as food and drinks?

Craig Robinson: It’s very boring. Greek salad with salmon and kombucha. Cayenne cleanse kombucha. I do watermelon and cucumber. That’s always there, too. I gotta update it, but it’s like slices of watermelon, slices of cucumber.

Foodbeast: That does sound very healthy. What about when you’re traveling? Anything you need to have in your hotel room?

Robinson: I’ll go grab some fruit from Whole Foods or something. And then I do a lot of Postmates. Again, I just look for a Mediterranean Greek salad.

Boring. Now, the other day I did go to Houston. We had a bunch of barbecue, and that was fantastic. But quickly, I’m reminded that, man, I get full quick. I gain weight quick. I gotta keep it on an even keel.

Foodbeast: What’s a popular food combination you’ve heard about recently that you just couldn’t get behind?

Robinson: A friend of mine said she was eating some chicken bacon ranch slice of pizza with barbecue sauce. And I just was like, I don’t know if I even want to try that. It sounds like too many things going on. But I bet it’s delicious. She was raving about it.

Foodbeast: What’s one of your favorite things to get from a vending machine?

Robinson: Oatmeal cookie. With a grandmother on it. Yeah, if I see an oatmeal cookie, I might be like, okay, yeah, let me go get one of those.

Foodbeast: Brooklyn Nine-Nine had some memorable food moments. There were Stroopwafels, Lobster Thermidor. Were any of those things coming from you?

Robinson: The writers did that, man. They were crazy like that, and they knew we would just do whatever. I think that’s the first time I heard of a Stroopwafel.

You might throw something in there if it’s random, but no, that was all the writers. I wasn’t like, “Hey, throw in the Lobster Thermidor idea.”

Foodbeast: What was the food actually like behind the scenes on those sets?

Robinson: Oh, yeah. Now that I can tell you. You get there in the morning, order whatever you want. You want some French toast, you want a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, whatever you want.

And then three hours later, while you’re on set or out of hair and makeup, they come around with a snack. So it’s constant. Then there’s a crafty table over there—you got little sandwiches or candy or fruit or whatever.

Then six hours after breakfast, there’s lunch. Usually you got fish, you got chicken, you got steak, et cetera. It’s like an eight-course meal every time you go. And then three hours after that, there’s another snack.

They make sure you get fed. Somebody fought for that back in the day. And if you’re not careful, it’s a problem.

Foodbeast: Did everybody eat together, or would people disappear into their trailers?

Robinson: No, no. It was big, long tables, and yeah, you eat together. Some cast would eat together. Some people go to the trailer, but you’re eating with the grips and the makeup artists and everybody else. It was like a big family vibe.

Foodbeast: You’re from Chicago, so we’ve gotta talk about the food you grew up with. What were some of your favorites?

Robinson: Man, deep dish. Our go-to was Giordano’s and also this place called Beggars, and Connie’s, too. They would all have the thin crust but also the deep dish, and it was always fantastic. I’m a big Chicago hot dog guy.

Harold’s was a staple.

Foodbeast: What was the Harold’s order before you started eating healthier?

Robinson: Half dark, hot and mild, salt and pepper.

Foodbeast: And deep dish?

Robinson: I’m going sausage or sausage pep.

Foodbeast: If somebody’s shipping you a Chicago pizza today, who’s getting the call?

Robinson: I would love a Beggars pizza, and that would go crazy. That would go hard right now. Beggars, yeah.

And then don’t get me started on Italian Fiesta. That’s way back in the day.

Foodbeast: School us on Italian Fiesta because we’ve never even heard of that.

Robinson: You know, that’s the greasiest pizza you’re ever, ever going to see. The whole top of the paper is soaked through by the time you get it. And it was mad delicious.

But if I had a choice right now, I think I would do Beggars. Beggars or Connie’s.

Foodbeast: So what does snacking look like for you these days?

Robinson: I’ll do some cashews and almonds and fruit.

Foodbeast: How did the Svedka partnership come about?

Robinson: They reached out, and they got this water cooler and vodka water. It goes with the brand of me being from The Office, and it just kind of made sense.

Foodbeast: Anything coming up that people should know about? Maybe a Greek salad line coming to markets near us?

Robinson: I probably should, as many as I get. Food ventures, no. I am in a movie called Toad coming up. I’m in Toy Story 5 right now. I got some irons in the fire for some other things. It’s a little premature to talk about.